Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-22

| bc cut and both Bessie and her old uncle saved
If he were dead he could not marry Bessie,
and if he died with the warrant unsigned
their uncle could not be executed That was
the answer to the riddle, and terrible one it
| was
But after all it was just that he should die,
for had he not murdered and attempted muir
! dcrf Surely If ever man deserved a swift
! and awful doom it was Frank Muller
And SO this apparently helpless girl,
crouched upon the ground a torn and bespat-
tered fugitive in the miserable hiding hole of
Hottentot, arraigned the powerful leader of
men before the tribunal of her conscience
and without pity, if without wrath, passed
| upon him a sentence of extinction.
But who was to be the executoner2 A
dreadful thought flashed into her mind and
made her heart stand still, but she dismissed
| it. She had not come to that vet. Her eyes
wandered round the kennel and lit upon
| Jantjes assegais and sticks in the corner and
| then she got another inspiration. lant ie
should do the decd John had told her one
| day-told her. when they were sitting to-
gether in The Iaatial" at Prctoria-tha
whole of Jantjc awful story about the mas
sacre of his relatives by Franls Muller twenty
years before, of which, indeed, she already
knew something 1t would be most fitting
that this ficnd should be removed off tho face
| of the earth by the survivor of those unfortu-
mates. There would be n little poetic justice
about that, and it is SO rare in the world.
But the question was would he do iti The
| little man was a wonderful coward, that she
knew, and had great terror of Beers, and
especially of Frank Muller.
"Jantje' she whispered, putting her head
toward the bee hole
Eyes, missile" answered hoarse voice out
side, and next second his monkey like face
came creeping into the ring of light followed
by his even more monkey like form.
"St down there, Jantje. l am lonely
| here, and want to talk"
He obeyed her, with n grin. "What shall
we talk about, missie1 Shall l tell you q
story of the time when the beasts used to
speak like | used to do years and years ago"
"No, Jantje. Tell me about that stick
that long stick with knob on the top, and
the hicks cut on it. Has it not something to
do with Frank Mullerr
The Hottentot's face instantly grew evil.
"Yah, YAH missiel" he said, reaching out a
skinny claw and Selling the stick. Look,
! that big notch. that is my father, Baas
| Frank Shot him: and that next notch, that is
my mother. Baas Frank shot her; and the
next one, that is my uncle, AN old, old man,
Baas Frank shot him. too. And these small
notches, they are where he has beaten me
yes, and other things, too. And now | will
make more notches-one for the house that
is burned and one for tho old Baas Croft,
my own baas, whom he is going to shoot,
and one for Missie Bessie" And without
further ado he drew from his side a very
large, white handled hunting knife, and be-
gan to cut them then and there upon the
hard wood of the stick.
jess knew this knife of old. 1t was Jantje's
peculiar treasure, the chief joy of his narrow
little heart. He had bought it from a Zulu
for hcifer which her uncle had given him
in lieu of half years wages. The Zulu had
got it from man who came down from be
yond Delagoa bay. As a matter of fact it was
Samali knife manufactured from soft ma
tive steel (Which takes an edge like a razor,
and with handle cut from the tlisll of hip
popotarnus. For the rest it was about foot
long, with three grooves running the length
of the blade and very heavy.
"Stop cutting notches, Jamie, and let me
look at that knife"
He obeyel, and put it into her hand.
"That knife would kill man, Jantic," she
said
YES yes" he answered; "no doubt it las
killed many men,
1T would kill Frank Muller, now, would it
not" she said, suddenly bending forward and
fixing her dark eyes upon the little mans
jaundiced orbs
Yah YAM" he said, starting back, sit
would kill him dead. All. What a thing it
would be to kill him." he added, with fierce
half sniggle, half laugh.
He killed your father, Jantje."
yah, yah, he killed my father" said
T., 10 ho, n, ro1l !,
Gle killed your mother"
"Yah, he killed my mother" he repeatel
after her with eager ferocity.
"And your uncle. He killed your unclc.n
"And my uncle, too, he went on, shi king
his fist and twtching his long toes as his voice
rose to a sort of subdued scream. "But he
will die in blood-the old Englishwoman his
mother, said it when the devil was in her, and
the devils never lie. Look! | draw Bass
Franks circle in the dust with my toe, and
listen, | say the words-I say the words" and
he muttered something rapidly; "an old, old
witch doctor taught me how to do it, and
what to say Once before did it, and there
was stone in the way; now there is no stone
look tho ends meet. He will die in blood! He
will die soon. l know how to read the circle, u
and he cnashed his teeth and sawed the air
with his clnched fists.
"fes, you are right, Jantje," she said, still
holding him with her dark eyes. "He will
die in blood, and he shall die tonight, and
you will kill him, Jantje."
The Hottentot started, and turned pale
under his yellow skin.
"Howin he said; "howF'
"Bend forward Jamie, and will tell you
how" and she whispered for some minutes
into his ear,
! Is Nea 49,
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